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Monday, June 18, 2012

WHY THEY HATE OUR NIQAB

When
I first started wearing the Niqab, I felt very awkward when people threw rude
comments at me. Later, when the comments started to increase, my awkwardness
converted to anger, and there were times when I stared hard and straight at
those who offended my Niqab and let them know how angry I was. I know some
people who take these comments coolly, but some others, really tend to lose
their temper.

Now,
thankfully, not many people abuse Niqabis in my country Alhamdulillah. Apart
from the occasional ‘ninja’ there’s really nothing much. But at times when they
do or when they stare at us as though we are dirt, I’ve learnt to control my
anger. I’m no longer intimidated by any comments people throw at my Niqab,
because deep down, I know that the only reason they hate my Niqab so much is
because they find something undeniably beautiful about it.

Let’s
face the fact: Would any of us approach and throw rude comments at a woman who
is semi-naked? As Muslims, all of us hate the sight of women dressed that way,
because it’s nothing short of a disgusting sight. But would we insult her for
her clothing? Obviously not, because we just don’t care about what or how they dress. We might hate it in our hearts, but we would never go to the extent of humiliating them. So long as we are covered, Alhamdulillah, we are happy. And that’s what
matters.

But why is that people are so very concerned about our Niqab? Why are
they fighting so hard to ban it? If they don’t like it, fine, they can keep it
to themselves, but why abuse Niqabis?

As
far as I’m concerned, it’s because they are intimidated with our Niqab. They
probably find it hard to accept the reality that there are women out there who
have the strength to cover up despite the demands of the society, despite the
demands of fashion and despite the lure of this sex-crazed world. In short, all
this hatred probably stems from jealousy.

So,
for us, all these comments, all these Niqab bashing and all the tosh about
Niqabis being oppressed and subjugated, only makes us stronger because our Niqab probably threatens people who are so bent of slaving behind fashion and
their desires. You know what? I think people who call the Niqab oppression are
the ones really oppressed.

There
is always a reason behind hatred. It’s either:

#1 Someone has done something that has harmed
you in some way

#2 Jealousy

I
really can’t find any other reason for hatred. So lets put the Niqab ban and Niqab
hate into this perspective.

The
Niqab was banned because those officials concerned hated the Niqab. Yeah, they brought
forward some baseless reasons, but it all comes down to their hatred for the
Niqab. So, now, which category does their hate for the Niqab fall in to? I
don’t know of any instance where any Niqabi has ever harmed any person in any
way. So it most certainly cannot fall into that category. This makes it automatically
fall into the next: Jealousy.

You
must be wondering why. Just take this example. You’re a man whose wife is
wearing a low-cut, skimpy, short dress and all men are gaping openly at her. Another
man, whose wife is covered up, is not getting any kind of (bad) attention from
men. Put yourself in this man’s shoe. Wouldn’t you be jealous of the woman all
covered up and her husband? Wouldn’t you envy the protection and privacy this
woman and her husband enjoys?

So, I my opinion, Niqab haters’ hatred is really
stemmed from jealousy and of course, to humiliate Muslims as much as they
possibly can.

Niqabis,
don’t you ever, ever worry about people humiliating your Niqab. They probably envy
you and your strength, that’s all! So hold you head high because you are one of
those strong and rare women who can dress to please only Allah. Stay strong!

So
now, I’m not afraid of any comments haters throw at me. I just remind myself
that these people have been imprisoned by others, but me-I’m free. Free to
dress as I please-not to please others, but only my Lord. And at the end of the
day, that’s all what counts!

Note: These are my very personal opinions and it doesn’t apply
for all Niqabis. We are all entitled to our own opinions and this is mine.

In your opinion should I be allowed to wear a shirt depicting the prophet Mohammed on it and still be treated the same as anyone else? If you say, "Sure", then I absolutely agree that your choice of dress is absolutely valid and you deserve to be treated the same as anyone else. If you say "No, That is not acceptable because you are offending my personal beliefs" then I would treat you badly because I find the niqab offensive to my beliefs. So what is your answer? I sincerely would like to know.

Firstly, there is no image of Prophet Muhammad Peace be upon him, for anyone to depict. If you wear a Tshirt of a man, claiming that it is Prophet Muhammad Peace be Upon him, then it is not him, so it does not matter to us because it is clearly a delusional piece of art. Keeping that aside, if you do wear a T shirt like that, say it actually does offend my personal beliefs, then I still would keep that to myself without treating anyone badly. "And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend." [Al Quran 41: 34].Once again, I would rather you treat me badly for wearing the Niqab than you insult my religion so the bottom line is that we don't really care. We Niqabis have dealt with enough hate so dealing with another one is really not something we are afraid of.

I would like to clarify that I don't hate Muslims at all. I just really don't understand the point of the niqab. People who are nasty to you about your choice honestly are not jealous. It's like saying I am jealous of a Jane Doe's ability to talk to someone without ever looking them in the eye. And I really don't bear you any ill-will. I'm actually impressed at how many good Muslims there are considering how violent Islam is. I'm not saying this as an insult, I am being completely sincere. I work with several Muslims who are very helpful, hard-working people.

The problem is when criminals hide using niqab, to harm and then get away. No CCTV can detect the covered face. It's your right to wear that in privacy of your home. In public places, keep a distance from kids. You say you're a kind sweet little harmless old lady. But others fear you. Because you could be a stunted nasty and manly criminal in disguise. Stay at home in your country. Especially don't visit China. They having problem with masked beings hiding in niqab. The full face crash helmet, or hoodie are forms of niqab.

My son 4 year asks me why they cover up so much and are they devils?? The first impression when i see a niqab is I am the victim because the other person is encroaching on my right to know whom I am speaking to. I might know her name but is that enough to know her from a crowd of ladies with same name? Freedom of religion is one thing that should not be mixed with state. World over extremists has used niqab to their advantage, either to get away or to transport people the kidnapped undetected. Nobody questions jains monks when they cover up their face because you've never hear about a jain terrorist.

You want to stand out; you are saying "I am not like you - I reject your ways/country/society. I live among you, but I am not one of you." It is a 'pride' thing, not a 'modesty' thing and is, IMO un-Islamic. It's unnecessary and divisive. Your own experience has proven this. But, you seem to get a kick out of the reaction you are getting and are happy to delude yourself into believing you're some kind of victim, as you parade your difference. You're begging for a reaction! "Look at me! Look at me!". Then you complain when people find it distasteful! .